#khajiit mythology

[imagineargonians]

molag bal x meridia is my favorite eso theory. they really made their divorce everyone else's problem.

During the chaos, it is written that the wife of Molagh freed Merrunz and used his destructive nature as a weapon against the Lattice.

When Merid-Nunda dared assault the Lattice

[locust-dust]

🎼Oh my darling, ohh my darling, oooooh my daaaarling Ri'Zara!!!🎶

My little khajiit dragonborn oc, I want to give her a full body of tattoos but that's gonna be an ordeal but I love her sooooo

[varlaisvea]

’this one’

ok i am kind of a dork about ta’agra. i am a ~linguist by education, and in eso, ta’agra has definitely gotten the most love out of all of tamriel's languages, enough such that it has understandable grammar and root words. (enough such that you can kiiind of figure out a general idea of what zerith-var is saying a lot of the time!)( if you've read the amount about ta'agra that i have!) (a normal fanfic writer amount, which is obiously a lot but, as with all elder scrolls lore topics, is insignificant compared to the real ta'agra fans out there). (but for real imagine being a language dork and having a video game give u a lil language dork treat for being a dork about its made up language. elder scrolls babey.). i’ve always been interested in how khajiit refer to themselves, because they have multiple ways of doing so, and—this being the elder scrolls—the choices people make in this regard are culturally meaningful. someone may say “I/me” or “this one” or their name/nickname, and the choice says a lot about the character, their background, and their mindset.

"this one", as a phrase, actually has deep and nuanced historical, cultural, and linguistic lore. because this is the elder scrolls.

as far as personal pronouns, zerith-var and the characters in his flashback stories only use I/me to refer to themselves. one could simply assume that language usage changes over time (khajiit in the 4th era in skyrim, don't really use it, for example). but, this being the elder scrolls, of course this (ultimately extremely minor) lore discrepancy is explained: zerith says “this one” is a more accurate translation for the way the personal pronoun (I/me) is used in the modern day, but it’s completely absent in his time. he doesn’t like “this one” at all: he observes that while ta’agra and cyrodiilic have mixed significantly over time, in his era, they were ‘mere acquaintances.’

so, it's an effect of khajiit mixing more with the rest of tamriel after a few decent centuries without a major war or catastrophic plague, but it's also more than that. languages are frameworks that both inform and convey the speaker's cultural perspective, and using "this one" reflects a desire to express something that "I/me" does not. in terms of how the word is used grammatically, the translation of “ahziss”, the ta'agra personal pronoun, is most accurately “I/me/my." but the literal meaning of "ahziss" is more accurately "this one" or "one person [of a group]" (although canon vs fanon is murky here). so, implicit in the ta'agra personal pronoun is the fact that the speaker is part of a whole—ie, they are saying me, this particular member of the group (the khajiiti people), or this particular khajiit (me). i imagine this is why some khajiit use "khajiit" as a personal pronoun; that also seems like a pretty reasonable approximation of what it sounds like "ahziss" means. this being the elder scrolls, khajiiti mythology also reflects this concept of the individual always being a part of the whole through the lunar lattice—you can see why it might be important to someone to convey something like that in their speech, when referring to themselves.

if this were not the elder scrolls, the lore related to this phrase might end at grammar and history (or well before that), but we are playing a game franchise whose name itself references the truly absurd amount of lore it has. so obviously we must consider the modern usage of the term, in order to really round out the lore about 'this one.'

nobles, like Khamira and Gharesh-ri, tend to speak with a distinct upper-class accent, and exclusively refer to themselves as I/me. The same is true of many scholars, mages, and wealthy people. this seems to suggest that well-educated, wealthy, and cultured khajiit are speaking a more "proper" tamrielic. southern elsweyr is more cosmopolitan (at least the parts that remain, which are largely cities), and people from the south tend to consider themselves more worldly and refined than their northern counterparts. accordingly, this 'upper class' and 'more tamrielic' manner of speech seems associated with a southern accent. this is consistent enough in the game that you can hear the torval curiata in zerith-var’s quests speaking with a southern accent, but using ‘this one’, and it’s kind of jarring.

currently elsweyr has been devastated by the knahaten flu, but historically the south was a wealthy, multicultural coastal trading economy (plus skooma and elegantly organized crime). the north has always been largely badlands inhabited only by baandari nomads, with a more modest agrarian trading economy in the two (formerly three) cities in the north, which are constantly invaded by cyrodiil over the centuries, and cut off from the rest of elsweyr by a massive canyon (and now also a condemned city). so (sorry to any non-americans but i can only make analogies referencing places i know), the north is like if vermont was an ancient desert with dragons in it, while the south is like if bethesda maryland was a post-apocalyptic jungle w/ dragons in it.

soo lower-class, rural, and less-educated khajiit, as well as khajiit from the northernmost part of elsweyr, seem more likely to use 'this one', and there's a lot of overlap in those groups. it's just part of the way people talk-- many people seem to use 'this one'/'I'/their name to convey shades of meaning. using "this one" or your name both require consequently referring to yourself in the third person, which has a much different vibe than referring to yourself in the first person. using your full name, or your name plus your title, or your nickname, or "this one" all have different vibes, and say different things about how you would like to define yourself in that moment. different people mean different things with their choices, but your choice can convey levels of intimacy, public vs private speech, formal or informal, etc.; it's all about feeling and personal preference.

razum-dar is probably the khajiit you talk to the most, and he is interesting to pay attention to--he is as calculating in his use of language as he is with everything else. to the player and to queen ayrenn, he mostly calls himself "raz" (suggesting that's what he uses with people he considers friends), and he usually only uses "I/me" when he is expressing a genuine emotion--ie, almost never. he uses "this one" to humble and formalize his speech when speaking to nobility or in an official capacity, but he also defaults to it when he's in the field. he is impressively cultured, well-read, and politically savvy, but he keeps those "this one"s generous when talking to others, especially high elves. being from merryvale, he has a fairly obvious northern accent, so he is happy to play the part of the lazy redneck sleaze he knows people will presume him to be--he counts on people underestimating his intelligence, and uses it to his advantage.

when the elder scrolls is great, it's because they don't shy away from depicting eg racism, they make their racism function accurately within the culture they have created, and the in-universe racism is fully baked right into "this one".

the cyrodiilic perspective is the in-universe cultural norm in tamriel, and the cyrodillic idea of what a khajiit is like would be informed by the khajiit they would most often interact (and racism). that would be farmers from rimmen and riverhold at a grain market, or baandari traders, who talk and act even more Like That and are even more ~exotic. so, it makes sense that an exaggerated northern accent with copious "this one"s is often used as a sign that someone is being lazy, dishonest, false, or patronizing. think of Pacrooti and Fezez; both have the obsequious khajiiti huckster manner of speaking, underscored by every over-the-top khajiiti idiom in the wiki. They never say "I" or "me", which means they are always referring to themselves in the third person, which in English implies deception. it tacitly admits you are using a persona with some separation from yourself and a good amount of falseness, especially if you let slip that you understand the concept of "I" well enough to insincerely call a stranger to whom you are trying to sell something "my friend." (Fezez even uses "khajiit" as a personal pronoun, which is part of the persona in his case, but also people still do talk that way a sometimes--it seems to be old-fashioned; mostly used by elderly folks, baandari, and people in truly remote backwaters.)

i feel like you can see what zerith var disliked about 'this one'. like, even setting aside the fact that as a person, he cannot comprehend a definition of 'I' that does not already contain within it the concept of the lunar lattice (which is azurah's love, which connects all khajiit to one another, even the ones whose souls were thought beyond saving.) like you can see where that alone would be incomprehensible to his understanding of his own existence. but even aside from that.

he is observing how people treat each other in this time, both good and bad. so he must see the ways khajiit experience racism, and how that racism differs from place to place. his life was such that he never even had to consider the unthinkable question of how to convey what 'I' means to you, let alone how to convey that in a language you now must speak for your own survival. like how do you explain 'when I am talking about myself, I mean me, this person who is honored to be part of an eternal whole, and so completely humbled to be a link in that lattice that they must speak of themself in the third person.' and like, my mans understands how they got there, but he also sees it getting mocked and associated with all the negative stereotypes of modern-day khajiit. which he also cannot help but see reflected in the actions of khajiit, both because he is now experiencing a multicultural society for the first time ever and thus seeing khajiit through an observer's eyes for the first time, and because you totally actually do meet plenty of khajiit who lean into that persona, in fact most khajiit in any type of merchant or service role, anyone who is trying to sell you something, throw some of it into their personality.

and now despite the fact that he is a two thousand year old monk with the power to resurrect the damned in order to offer them true peace, and he has been here for like twenty minutes, he's already felt the weight of 2000 years of history and 2000 years of racism by having to contend with the existence of that phrase. i get why he's like 'nah not for me'

anyway surely this is a normal amount of things to know and ways to feel about a simple phrase in a fictional language!

[mistressofduskanddawn]

A Small Note Of Azura and Kynareth

[ID: Image of a snowy mountain with patches of evergreen trees at the base. The mountains peak about halfway of the image, with the rest being illuminated by the stars. The night sky transitions from pink from the bottom to a rich blue-green at the top].

THE IDEA THAT HAS BEEN OF NOTICE TO ME IS THE CONNECTION OF KYNARETH, beyond what Khajiit lore states. They are both of relevance to my personal practice, particularly so that my TES polytheism is mostly centred around Skyrim, with the legendary edition being my first elder scrolls game when I started playing eight years ago. Azura has always been one of my beloved deities of Skyrim, and I did not learn much of lore outside of what quests and youtube videos there were. Kynareth was hardly ever on my mind until I began to take this seriously, and began to invest myself in the lore—and soon enough, Azura led me to the wind, and I have found something of a companionship between the two goddesses. And with companionship comes gnosis and understanding, leading to a unique perspective—that of a commonality, a friendship, between the two goddesses. 

AS CREATORS OF WARRIORS

One commonality I find between the two is their roles in influencing warriors and conflicts, despite not being war gods. Kynareth taught the Thu’um to mortals through Paarthurnax, which despite Greybeard’s insistence that it not be used for violence, is employed as such by people in Tamriel. Azura through her champion Nerevar united the people of Morrowind and her son Alandro Sul acted as his shield companion. Even if he and the other members of the Tribunal eventually went against Azura’s wishes and used the tools of Kagrenac for their own ends, she does continue to patron the Dunmeri people in Tamriel. 

Truthfully, there is much more detail to go into on this topic, but by Azura that should be its own post—the simple edition is that both Azura and Kynareth take on motherly and patron roles for warriors for their people. And through the Dragonborn, Khajiit, and other Dunmeri champions do they both continue to protect their people.

A QUICK NOTE ON KHAJIIT LORE

The connection between my two goddesses shines in Khajiit lore, where their connection becomes permanent. Khenarthi is a psychopomp for Azurah, moving with her in the liminality of souls and death: 

Khenarthi is Azurah’s messenger, and ferries the dead Khajiiti souls to her for judgment. Azurah tends the lanterns lit by Khenarthi in the eyes of Jone and Jode, their stillborn brothers, when they burn low.

Together, they mourn for their brothers, and they rule over the souls of Khajiit. Their shared power of liminality over souls with Azura over soul gems and Kynareth over transporting souls presses their uniqueness and their connections—perhaps Azura works over Oblivion and Kynareth on Nirn, and who is to say if they hand off souls to another for whichever purpose. 

BETWEEN DEATH AND HEAVEN

Azura and Kynareth both rule over the sky: Azura mandates the transitions of day and night as the divine gatekeeper, and Kynareth as a goddess of the winds, storms. Kynareth may very well be the sky herself, as the Aedra gave up much of themselves to form Mundus—befitting that she as a goddess who communicates through wind would be the heavens. And Azura being a Daedra who did not, but precedes over the change of the sky, reminds me of Earth’s various mythologies: often, the heavens are made before the sun and moon. 

The stars in Earth’s mythology also tend to come after the sun and moon, as with Hesiod’s Theogony with Eos mothering the stars; in Tamriel people pray to Kynareth for auspicious stars upon birth. And most of us who seek the worship of Aedra and Daedra know that Azura is the Queen of the Night sky and associated with her star. Divination is one of Azura’s powers of prophecy, aligning well with Kynareth’s blessings of good stars. Astrology may be a rather useful activity to pursue with the two. 

PERSONAL WORSHIP

Azura is who led me to Kynareth, in hindsight with great wisdom on her behalf. In my essence of writing this blog, my heart has been dedicated mostly to the religion of Skyrim and the Dragons of Skyrim—including Akatosh. The hearth-mother is the one who provided the Way of the Voice, with a power that resonates even in our world. Speeches of dragon tongue are sharp for spells, and excellent for a dragonkin such as myself. And for a witch, Kynareth is more befitting than meets first impressions. 

The Fryse Hags came to personal notice for magical practice. A group of witches claiming dedication to Kyne aligns well with Azura’s own power over magic and divination—which draws my notice as a witch myself. The cold and chill of Skyrim is what strikes my heart as home, and thus, the potentiality of ice-bound magic under Kyne and Azura is coming as the soft hoarfrost does. Though of course with far less violence, as the writers of Elder Scrolls tend to make the “Other” extreme—in a world of magic, are witches with a different philosophy really all that different? Sensationalism, I suppose, which continues to strain titles such as Daedric Lord as “evil” and not a more fitting concept as “change” is. 

Azura’s willingness to do things most Daedra would not, I believe, attests to her liminality. Her connection to Kynareth—explicit in Khajiit lore, homologous in many other facets—in my eye is an extension of it. Azura acts in ways that push her more towards Aedric in some aspects, for she is loving and kind, but also her liminality gives her the power to expand beyond the title of Daedric lord. Her sharing similar realms to Kynareth gifts me this idea that Azura’s nature is of course similar in part to Kynareth as they both work in the heavens. If the Aedra are stasis, and the Daedra are change, then Kynareth is the heavens, cycles and winds, and Azura is the change that perpetuates those to change based on day and time. And if that distinction even matters, I still find that these two goddesses are closer than most would meet in their eye, unless it happens to be a hint more feline than most. 

wordpress link

References

Lore:Azura – The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP). (n.d.). https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Azura

Lore:Fryse Hags – The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP). (n.d.). https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Fryse_Hags

Lore:Kagrenac’s Tools – The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP). (n.d.). https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Kagrenac%27s_Tools

[buddingautumn]

A book you might like is Shinto: The Kami Way by Sokyo Ono. It has a lot of stuff in it about the mythology, the history of shrines, worship (including a nice section on worship in the home), all intended to help non-Japanese people with understanding basics about Shinto.

It's not an all around "learn everything!!!!" book but rather a basic introductory work by someone who has studied Shinto for like. his entire career. I'm still in my infancy for Shinto myself (at least in terms of how much I've been able to study) so sadly there's not more for me to share, but I wanted to share what I do have!

If you seek it out, I hope it helps you! May the kami smile kindly upon you.

silly-khajiit asked: Oh yeah you might like this too from the Great Tsubaki Shrine of America, which I believe is written by one of the priests. https://www.tsubakishrine.org/kaminomichi/index.html

This website is a Shinto encyclopedia, essentially: https://www2.kokugakuin.ac.jp/e-shinto/?entryID=1246

Here's a blog (which I believe in a Tumblr one actually? it's hard to tell on desktop lol) from someone who if I remember rightly (I don't feel like scouring the blog right now) who is a person is a priest and this has been so invaluable to me: https://www.livingwithkami.com/

As well, here's a website about lucky/unlucky days, Rokuyō, which isn't directly Shinto but is still a Japanese concept (which it's good to remember how big Japanese culture is for practicing Shinto, hence me sharing this, though this is NOT heavily practiced anymore): https://rokuyo.org/index.html ( You can read about Rokuyō here: https://gogonihon.com/en/blog/japanese-calendar-rokuyo/ ) I'm fairly sure Rokuyō is a "take it or leave it" thing to most modern Shinto practitioners, though. It's quite hard finding resources linking the two beyond "Rokuyō is the ancient lucky/unlucky calendar of Japan!" which doesn't link them at all lol, but if you're interested, it's fascinating to me so it may be to you

Sorry to send two asks I just realized "Oh shoot I DO have more resources I can share!" Anyways, have a great rest of your day!

Hopefully these links work and they don't cause this ask to get blocked or something. I don't think Tumblr blocks asks though lol

you're all good khajiit!! i really really appreciate your efforts to help keep me well-informed!! funnily enough, i have a lil notebook for to-reads and notes from what i've already read (i'm currently writing notes from livingwithkami's site), i'll be excited to write down some notes from what you've suggested here! now that i've started researching, it's been hard to decide on where to direct myself to next - so i really really appreciate the guidance!

my paycheck comes in soon, so i'll be thrilled to add some books to my reading list. i also loved reading from livingwithkami's site as a side note, it's incredible. the encyclopedia is also phenomenal to have available, too. everything else you've suggested however, i am yet to go through.

thank you again!! so so much!! :)

[propertyofkylar]

Pelinal is a crazy, genocidal, and gay crusader who fights the Wild elves who enslaved his people. he's racist against elves (and khajiit/catgirls because they have pointy ears) and kills them on sight. some say he's a robot construct of sorts while others say he's a hero/prisoner akin to the nerevarine or hero of kvatch. Basically the elder scrolls equivalent to a mythological hero like heracleas, sigurd, ulysses or beowulf

I have typed this like 12 times, please for the love of god send the ask to nipa-niwa

i love the education i get on this blog thank you

[falmerbrook]

In regard to one of your recent reblogs, the while concept of unreliable narrator in TES lore is perfect. You never know if something is a reality or just random stuff someone made up while high. Especially creation myths and other mythology, how do you know they're real, you weren't there! I very much like the concept of bosmer and khajiit coming from the same source, just with some being formed by Azura and some by Y'ffre, but it could also just be not real, their roots being completely separate, and mythology being formed specifically because of their geographic placement. You don't know. I don't know. Author of that book probably doesn't know either, just relaying mythology they already knew. And it's beautiful.

Water is memories though, that's been basically confirmed by one dremora found in bangkorai

Yep, I think it's one of tes's best qualities. It's a bit of a shame they haven't leaned into it as heavily since they did in Morrowind, but I think it makes the world feel more alive and the lore more interesting to read about and interpret. I wish fans would lean into it more. I think there's a tendency (less on tesblr and more elsewhere) to just go with the altmer or imperial myths as the "truth", but I think treating them more as mythologies is more interesting!

Related: one of my minor wishes for future games is a group with a religion/belief system that is super out there and nothing like ones we've seen, but one where you can understand how they came to conclusions they did

[crimsonsongbird]

I think this is my last batch of questions, I'm running out of things to ask! We shall see.

What's something from personal experience you have about an entity that you think might have Nobody agreeing with you / also experiencing that?

What's something you learned from someone else's personal experience about an entity that has held especially true in your worship?

What's your favorite mythological creature? Favorite animal?

How much of a sweet tooth do you have?

When it comes to reading cards, do you have any rituals you perform about it? Do you read with them on a cloth, board, something else, or just plainly on the surface?

Hello again, Khajiit!

What's something from personal experience you have about an entity that you think might have Nobody agreeing with you / also experiencing that? & What's something you learned from someone else's personal experience about an entity that has held especially true in your worship?

So I don't really know anyone who also works with Naruto or any of my other PCP entities to be able to compare experiences. Even in my HelPol practice, I don't really know other practitioners well enough for us to share deity experiences. Most of my friends worship different deities or entirely different pantheons.

What's your favorite mythological creature? Favorite animal?

My favorite mythological creature is definitely vampires, while my favorite animal would be sharks.

How much of a sweet tooth do you have?

Like on a scale of 1 to 10? Probably a 15. I can't really have caffeine, so I rely on sugar for that boost of energy. Plus... I just love sweet treats.

When it comes to reading cards, do you have any rituals you perform about it? Do you read with them on a cloth, board, something else, or just plainly on the surface?

I wash my hands, lay out my cloth, and then start shuffling the deck. When it comes to reading cards, I don't actually pull any cards, I let them fly out of the deck while I'm shuffling and that's how I know I have the right cards.

[the-college-of-whispers]

I was wondering if you have anything on worship of Y’ffre? I know he’s not a Daedra, but he’s still fascinating to me.

Alright, I'm sorry this took literal months to get together, but my schedule was fucked. Now, let's talk about Y'ffre.

Y'ffre is the head of the Bosmeri pantheon, the creator of the Green Pact, and usually described as a bearded man (though Y'ffre has been referred to with she/her pronouns in at least one instance). The Bosmer are also referred to as Y'ffre's people.

As Jephre, he is worshiped by the Altmer, who also depict him as bearded. There is an Altmer order known as the Jephrine Paladins who style themselves after indriks and protect the wild, as opposed to most Altmer who demand perfection and obedience from nature.

The Bretons worship him as both Jephre and Jeh Free, God of the Forest and Spirit of the Now. They have their own version of the Jephrine Paladins, the Vicars of Jephre who are also known defenders of the natural world. This isn't even getting into the Druids, the Druids of Galen, and the Beldama Wyrd.

As Y'ffer, he appears in the Khajiiti pantheon (though, who doesn't?). He created the first flower to woo Nirni, became corrupted by Namiira, killed Nirni, and was slain by Hircine, Azurah, and Khenarthi (who turned his bones into a cairn for Nirni). He was known as a snooping spirit who couldn't keep secrets and was the reason Fadomai's Children could cross the Lattice. In their lore, he's responsible for turning some of the Khajiit into the Bosmer. Prior to the Riddle'thar Epiphany, he was known as the bastard son of Ahnurr. Interestingly, he is not a figure of worship.

He's also believed to have had Ayleid and Snow Elf worshipers.

There was once an Argonian heresy that abandoned the Hist and turned to Y'ffre and the Valenwood for an alternative reproduction method, but this was potentially wiped out in the Second Era when ex-Shadowscale refugees assassinated those responsible.

Fascinatingly, the Imperials were strictly prohibited from Y'ffre worship due to Alessian Empire religious laws (though the current ban on worship is unknown in the modern Imperial Cult).

Along with the names Y'ffre, Jephre, and Y'ffer, he is also known as the Singer, the Storyteller, God of Song and Forest, and Spirit of the Now. He is known to be swift and to send wisps to herald the storms of Rain's Hand. Seeing the wisps are a promise of new growth, new life, and a new chapter in nature's cycle.

His most faithful are the Spinners, who keep histories, laws, and prophecies as stories. They invoke him into themselves to tell the stories. Some of them include how he brought forth the Green from the Ooze, the establishment of the Green Pact, and how he taught the Bosmer to both escape the original Ooze and how to activate the Wild Hunt, which is super fucky.

As a god of nature and, let's be honest, life as a whole - because let's be honest, that's what it means to pull the Green from the Ooze - he's associated with literally all animals and plants, though obviously cares more for the plants than the animals given the average Bosmer's diet. Particularly of note are trees (especially oaks), flowers, birds, elks, and indriks. His only known artifact is the Ring of the Wild Hunt, which we'll talk about later.

What is he the god of? Well...

Songs

Stories

Narrative magic

The Green

Treethanes

Nature

Guardian elemental spirits

Graht-Elk

The Wild Hunt (aka Great Hunt)

Speed/swiftness

I'd even argue that he's a god of the planet overall, creation, and life as a whole given his mythology and what exactly is attributed to him. Like, pulling the Bosmer out of gook is a huge thing, and it's only one of the things that is attributed to him!

What? Okay, okay, fine, I'll talk about the Ring of the Wild Hunt!

Look, everyone keeps arguing about what is or is not canon in the Elder Scrolls series now. Which means that I'm just taking all of the information, canon or no, and dumping it at your feet. That's been the case for everything, but it's especially the case with this section.

The Ring of the Wild Hunt is a Bosmeri artifact. It plagues the wearer's dreams with images of hunters and prey, yet also blessed the wearer with Y'ffre's swiftness. Literally, it makes you run a lot faster.

The ring is composed of five pieces: the Band of Water, the Charm of the Shapeless, the Face of the Serpent, the Face of the Wolf Beast, and the Symbol of Y'ffre.

Band of Water: small band, possibly depicts a liquefied Bosmer (my thoughts: potentially one in the midst of the Wild Hunt)

Charm of the Shapeless: bizarrely-shaped green charm, possible relic of the Wild Hunt

Face of the Serpent: possible imagery of the Wild Hunt, resembles serpentine beast

Face of the Wolf Beast: monstrous animal resembling different creatures, possible depiction of King Dead Wolf-Deer

Symbol of Y'ffre: depiction of Y'ffre, thought to be of the god unleashing the power of the Wild Hunt

It broke into five pieces sometime after its creation and was reunited in 2E 582 by the ESO player character as a member of the University of Gwylim's Antiquarian Circle.

So that's it. That's all I managed to find about Y'ffre in canon. My only additions are some minor musings, as I've never interacted with Y'ffre myself.

Something I should consider doing is to trace where the inspiration for him came from, as the Elder Scrolls series has a bad habit of pulling directly from Greek, Roman, or Norse gods to "inspire" their own... Though the lore of Y'ffre does do its best to separate him from any direct inspiration or obscure the gods who inspired him.

(PS: The apple dividers used on this post were created by @firefly-graphics!)

Perhaps this gives you something to work with, anon!

UESP Lore page: Y'ffre

UESP Lore page: The Green Singing

UESP Lore page: Jephrine Paladins

UESP Lore page: Ring of the Wild Hunt

UESP Lore page: Beldama Wyrd

UESP Lore page: Druids

UESP Lore page: Druids of Galen

UESP Lore page: Wild Hunt

UESP Online page: Ring of the Wild Hunt

[jakobos]

Hey, You're amazing at art which makes it incredibly upsetting your talents are wasted on the shitty furry design of hircine given to us by eso rather than the cool and creepy design from Morrowind. In khajiit mythology theres actually a story behind the skull he wears. Despite this, thank you for making him not derpy like the eso design usually does. I love the rest of your work, (Namira is really creepy, it's awesome)

Sorry for the rant, I'm tired of good artists wasting their time on the worst design of hircine.

This ask still bugs me 2 years later. Like, fuck you, I drew the design I liked?? My time wasn't wasted because I drew something /you/ didn't like

[hurgablurg]

Akavir Ideas

Tsaesci are normally anthropomorphic snake-people, but because Akavir is in the next kalpa (where the standard is evidently that of beastfolk), when they tried to invade westward and entered the current kalpa (within which humanoids are the standard), they were forcibly “reformed” into a human shape - explaining why all the tsaesci seen in Tamriel are humans instead of snakes.

The pain of the transformation is why they never bothered to try another invasion. 

The Kamal, on the other hand, are masochistic and figured second, third, fourth, etc. time’s the charm, but eventually found they could bypass the change by going through Atmora, which is currently “north” of the kalpic cycle (that is to say, it is one of the 11 worldskins before Yokuda, and is therefore a part of the wheel not “touching the ground”, unlike the Named 3 which are) altogether. It’s the difference between the Ice Tribes and our guy Karstaag.

Uriel V’s invasion fleet met the same change, but the history books won’t say jack or shit about it because none of the survivors wanted to admit they were forcibly assigned minotaur fursonas.

The lamia beastfolk are unrelated to the tsaesci despite appearances - sometimes nature just be like that.

The tsaesci have special warrior-guilds of dragon hunters led by a figuratively-leashed dovahkiin, who embark on missions into Ka Po’ Tun to slay any newly-ascended dragons, slaughter their families and temples, raze their hometowns, and consume their newly immortal souls.

The tigers’ obvious desire to prevent this leads to a tense cold-war of assassinations and plots where the tigers try to kill the dragonborns before they master their thu’um and the snakes try to keep them hidden as they are trained.

This kerfuffle includes elite dragon-hunter-hunters, (an) order(s) of cloaked “ninja” tigers who are sworn to protect all life but are also sworn to exempt by such kill/assassinate/hamper the tsaesci dragon-slayers and dragonborns and no other opponent - irrationally specialized in this task, they are mythologized as fighting death and “the Void”, in defence of life and immortality.

The Tang Mo are the largest and most wide-spread of the Akaviri civilizations, and consider the entirety of the continent of Akavir as the Thousand Monkey Isles, with the other nations living within their borders as funny little enclaves that sometimes throw violent tantrums. While the snakes and tigers and snow demons and their tributaries dispute this notion, none have been able to actually prove otherwise by gaining control over them.

Despite this, or perhaps it is because, the Tang Mo are carefree and nigh-utopian, enjoying the abundant fruits of their minimal labour while strengthening their community bonds and regional identities. In their leisure however, they neglect vigilance: their armies quickly disbanding out of disinterest as quickly as they are raised in response to threats - this serial unpreparedness serves to make their sudden resistances against their would-be-conquerors appear all the more heroic in their biased but extensive records, which annoys everyone with a conventional military.

The Ka Po’ Tun’s veneration of dragons is eerily similar to the relationship between the khajiit and dovah of Tamriel, but no one knows what its about. Nor are the ka po’ tun aware that there is another race of cat-people with their own dragons just over yonder.

The tigers ascend into dragons at an inconsistent rate despite the large numbers attempting it, generally between 3 and 6 ascendants in a 5 year span, which is further hampered by tsaesci dragon-hunters who are quick to act on any rumours of ascendancy.

While the dragons of Tamriel typically present as masculine, the dragons of Akavir typically present as feminine. This includes their spiritual liege, ““king”” Tosh Raka, who is trans. Good for her!

The tigers have 13 styles of sacred martial arts, themed after 13 of their animal constellations (dragon, fox, hare, artei, durzog, rat, nix-bird, gull, stripedbear, dolfax, heron, huxhi, and wad’lin). Four of these styles are centred around casting spells which isn’t strictly martial, but is cool.

Ka po’ tun are immune to the effects of most poisons and toxins, but are lethally vulnerable to the simmering juices found within kagouti livers. This is information no one will ever likely learn, as kagouti are not indigenous to Akavir.

The Kamal are ice-freaks who like to invade and loot places that aren’t theirs, which has drawn not-inaccurate comparisons to the nords and atmoran colonizers.

The kamal, in searching for safer routes to pillage, colonized the now otherwise-uninhabitable Atmora and the Sea of Ghosts, and over the centuries the isolated oceanic populations evolved (or were perhaps being transformed) into the Sea Giants.

They hibernate in large chunks of ice as a shield against the even colder temperatures of impossible para-winters, and to release themselves with the coming of summer, they vibrate quickly and subtly to produce body heat to melt the ice around them, like bees killing a hornet.

Kamal have five eyes but traditionally keep the central eye covered so that it can “see only the future in which they win”.

The rumoured dog-men and rat-men and akaviri humans do exist and are not extinct, but were culturally subsumed by the tsaesci and serve as second-class citizens, levies, labourers, and blood-banks for the snakes.

What remains of their original cultures can be found in songs with long-forgotten melodies, stories, and parables desperately inscribed on the walls of old temples and forgotten dungeons that they had fortified in their last days of resistance.

Their blood doesn’t even taste very good, but the tsaesci governments have really good propaganda about it being supernaturally healthy and spiritually-wholesome, like the USA and carrots.

Akavir itself is shaped kind of like a bowl, with an unnervingly below-sea-level interior. If sea met soil, it really would be a Thousand Islands.

[imagineargonians]

love how different TES mythologies completely agree on one thing - lorkhan had bitches

[dinoaifanart]

Hircine is the Daedric Prince of Hunt; he is known as the Huntsman and the Father of Manbeasts. To the Khajiit he is known as "The Hungry Cat". Hircine created the various lycanthropic diseases which transform mortals into beasts, and is, therefore, the father of were-creatures. His plane of Oblivion is known as the Hunting Grounds. Reachmen are particularly devoted to Hircine, and the Prince is one of the most prominent spirits in their mythology.

Hircine's statue depicts him as a physically fit man whose head is obscured by a deer skull with long antlers. He is armed with a great spear and has a wolf companion.

[varlaisvea]

on the other hand

the two main characters of the longfic i’ve published very little of, but have been writing for over two years, are a high elf and a khajiit.

i was worried when i saw the basic outline of tanlorin’s questline, bc it contains a lot of elements that my high elf character shares. i don’t know in what context those elements appear in tan’s quests, but there were enough specific similarities to make me worry a little.

but actually i’ve found a lot of similarities in zerith-var’s quests, too.

at first i thought i was being weird about it but then i realized that elder scrolls lore is so dense as to be a lattice on which one can plant and train vines—it’s easy to tease out themes and recurring motifs in every culture’s mythology and aesthetic, so fanfic is bound to come up with things that share elements with what gets written. it would still make me so sad to have written something that sounds too similar to a canon character’s story, but i'm a lot less worried about that since i realized that.

[rotarywires]

Books I Want to Read in the Coming Year

was tagged by friend/covenmate @khajiit-reads a while back for this and completely forgot that my draft was sitting here on tumblr, so. uh. oops. tagging @windvexer for this to keep the chain going i suppose

FINISH READING

In Focus: Auras // Joylina Goodlings || I started this book as an introductory primer for reading auras and learning more clairsenses, but I didn't get the chance to finish it before I got swept up in university coursework.

Gods and Heroes of Ancient Greece // Gustav Schwab || This book was started a looong time ago, in junior year of high school I believe, and I've been meaning to get around to the whole thing

Tales of Norse Mythology // H. A. Guerber || Similar to the above. Started it, didn't finish it, want to finish it.

Runes Illustrated // Rachel Newcombe || Picked this up in the fall to help supplement online sources and help me figure out how to do more in-depth readings with my rune set.

RE-READ

Everyday Radiance // Heidi Rose Robbins || I want to learn more about astrology and I need to practice self care, so. Best of both worlds

The Green Witch // Arin Hiscock-Murphy || Read this in its entirety at the behest of a guide. I want to actually put some of the exercises into practice this year in my practice.

This Poison Heart // Kalynn Bayron || I just really love a good fiction novel and this one is magical and lovely

START READING

Call of the Dragon // Jasmine Walt || DRAGONS RAH. Part of a mystery box gift from my mom

The Keeper of Happy Endings // Barbara Davis || Also part of a mystery box gift from my mom!

Priory of the Orange Tree // Samantha Shannon || Got this book way back when from my aunt and I've wanted to actually read it for a hot minute

[theclaymorrigan]

FORGING THE SWORD OF THE GREAT QUEEN 📜 Scroll Seven:

Fara, as only I had ever called her, was tearful at Dezbomiin's proclamation of the coming end.

"The end of what?" I demanded of the dragon.

"The cycle of her clan," Dezbomiin told me. "The ending of the Maiden-to-Matron-to-Morrigan lineage."

"That doesn't sound so bad," I sighed in relief."It means F…,er, The Maiden won't become a hagraven like The Matron, right?"

"I will become a Daughter of Coldharbour," Fara said sadly.

I was unsure of what that was but her tone of woe conveyed that it was nothing good. Instead of questioning the particulars, I asked Dezbomiin: "You have seen this? You are the source of these prophecies?"

"*Niid*, Claymorrigan," replied Dezbomiin. "I see things that were and things that only may be. Fate is not immutable and each action taken may alter what the future holds. It was I who saw you as a babe. There was only one path for you and it led here; now. The prophecies you refer to were the Promises of The Old Gods made long ago."

"Why must everyone in these lands speak in cryptic riddles?" I huffed.

My ire was short-lived because this managed to draw a smile and giggle from my Fara. I could not hold onto my anger in the face of that as Dezbomiin leaned her great head down to nuzzle The Maiden.

"Your confusion is understandable, my new friend," Dezbomiin sympathized. "Our Maiden has known naught else but these 'cryptic riddles' as you call them. It is likely difficult for her to conceive of any other way to live. To Reachfolk, there are only two worlds; flesh and spirit, and they do not distinguish between Aedra and Daedra as most cultures do."

"So The Old Gods are not The Divines," I reasoned.

"Are you familiar with The Monomyth?" the dragon asked.

"I have read a book with that title," I said. "It spoke of commonalities between the creation stories of almost all the races of Tamriel."

Dezbomiin nodded. "And do you know what a Dragon Break is?"

"A time paradox or some such," I shrugged. "There is branching in time in which sometimes contradictory events occur and are somehow all still true at once."

"Very good," the she-dragon told me. "Imagine then how much more profound the branches of such events were before linear time began. All that the *joor* refer to as Creation Myths occured and are true. And some others of which mortals have never been aware. Certain aspects of powerful entities can possibly come back together. You know the common archetype in the mythologies known as The Missing God or The Dead God?"

"Lorkhan, Lorkhaj, the Moon Beast to the Khajiit. Lorkh, the Spirit of Man, the Mortal Spirit, or the Sower of Flesh to the Reachmen." I took Fara's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Sep to the Redguards. Sheor to the Bretons. Shor to the Nords, and Shezarr to Imperials."

"You are quite learned for one so young," Dezbomiin sounded impressed.

"If I busied myself in study, it was the closest thing I could find to solitude among The Thalmor." I confessed. Then the implications of the Jill's questions dawned on me. "Are you saying…"

"Yes, Claymorrigan. The Dead God could live again. At the expense of your world."

TO BE CONTINUED…